New Orleans

Veggie gumbo hearty enough to satisfy avid meat lovers

Veggie gumbos are often overlooked in favor of the more popular seafood and chicken types. This is unfortunate since vegetables make outstanding examples of the famous Cajun soup. They are healthy, hearty, delicious and can be made in seemingly endless varieties.

A greens gumbo containing mustard, kale, spinach, turnip tops and lots of onions served with a hot crispy corn bread is hard to beat on a cold winter day. An okra and tomatoes version is famous in bayou country and is often the main course for an evening meal.

I sometimes make a root vegetable recipe with carrots, potatoes, parsnips and sweet potatoes that just cannot be beat. Even meat lovers will adore this version because it is filling and so good.

Besides being healthy and delicious they are also less expensive since there is no meat used. Plus as with all gumbo's they freeze well and will be even better tasting out of your freezer.

It is a good idea to make extra so you can freeze the excess. For busy families that don't have much time to cook, a frozen container of this wonderful concoction is a great thing to come home to. Just heat it up and toast some french bread for a very fast and wonderful meal.

If you have veggie lovers and meat lovers in the same household you can satisfy both by adding some andouille or smoked sausage. The veggie lovers just leave out the sausage and the meat lovers load up when serving. These are great with or without rice but a true Cajun or Creole will serve it over rice.

Another benefit to vegetable gumbos is that they are easy to make. Anyone can do it. You can cut up the veggies in advance and store in your refrigerator.

Stock can be made ahead of time
and kept frozen for months. Just thaw and it's ready to go. Then when you are ready to prepare just make a little roux, let your vegetables simmer and in 1 hour or less you are done. So fast, so easy and so good.